Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We have stood idly by. We play around. Amnesty International has produced a report on Palestine. I will have two and a half minutes tomorrow night to speak on that.

Amnesty International has clearly asked this Government to do something and all governments to show solidarity and not stand idly by, but that is what we are doing. The Taoiseach has told us that he feels uncomfortable with the word "apartheid", but that was the finding. Amnesty International did not say that Israel was an apartheid state. Rather, it said that Israel operated an apartheid regime. The report was specific and based on years of research.

When we talk about the egregious breaking of laws, we keep our respect if we keep a voice that is consistent, powerful and truthful so that people can rely on us and see that we have integrity and our words mean something. War is abhorrent. This is much bigger than Russia. This is much bigger than Ukraine. There is a huge threat of nuclear war. If that does not encourage us to stand back and reflect as a neutral country, God help us.

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